


Catch Me When I Fall

by CalmClearSkies



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, MJN Air Is A Family, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-03-24 20:32:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3783436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalmClearSkies/pseuds/CalmClearSkies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based off a prompt on Dreamwidth by Consulting_Captain_Sherlock_Crieff, and originally posted there, but will continue updates here. </p>
<p>Martin hadn't had one for years, since he was 15 in fact, but now his panic attacks seem to have made a reappearance and he faces a battle to get his mental health back in order. He thinks he's facing the battle alone, but of course his MJN family are there to help. Possibly mild slash, and rated Teen for subject matter. My first CP fic so please be kind :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Early Morning Walkaround

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ko_writes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ko_writes/gifts).



**A/N - OK, lots of notes :D This is my first CP fic so apologies if there's lots of OOC moments! It's also my first time writing about this subject matter, so please be kind :) Usual disclaimers, I own nothing (wish I did) and I'm just borrowing the characters for a little while :) Probably gonna be a few parts to this.**

Martin awoke to the sound of his alarm blaring, and the birds singing outside. He rubbed his eyes and silenced the alarm, wincing as he noted the time. It was definitely not normal to be awake at 4am, well, not normal for most people. For him, it was becoming a much more regular occurrence. He climbed out of bed and wandered to the bathroom, a smile crossing his face as he remembered the students had all gone home yesterday, and wouldn't be back for 2 weeks. Not having to worry about using all the hot water, was a welcome change, but as Martin stepped into the shower and turned on the taps, he got a nasty shock. The water was ice cold, and after the quickest shower in documented history, he went to investigate, finding a malfunction with the boiler. "Great, my first uninterrupted shower in weeks and this happens. Just my luck." he mumbled to himself, as he left a note for his landlord, who he knew was calling round later. When that was dealt with, and after he was dressed, Martin entered the communal kitchen, hoping to find something substantial to eat. This time, luck was on his side, someone had left almost a full box of cereal in the cupboard. Everyone in the house knew any food left in the house when you weren't there, was fair game for the remaining housemates, so he knew there'd be no complaints. After a decent breakfast, for once, and some coffee, he was ready to leave for the airfield. Fortunately, their client that day was a generous one, and had insisted on them getting a taxi to the airfield, lest they be tired at the controls after the early start and having to drive in. Secretly, Martin was thrilled, as the night before, his van had decided to die, just as he'd reached home. With it off the road, he couldn't earn money, which provided a rather paradoxical predicament - no van meant no way to earn money, to fix said van. He felt his stomach knot, and the voice inside his head had kicked in to overdrive recently, telling him he was pathetic, useless and any number of other insults towards himself. He was startled from his thoughts by the sound of the taxi door opening, and another person entering the vehicle. "Morning, Douglas," Martin said, trying to sound happier than he felt. Douglas merely grunted in reply, Douglas Richardson was good at many things, but early mornings were not his specialty.

The rest of the journey passed in a companionable silence, neither man awake enough for a proper conversation. As they walked across the airfield car park, Douglas noticed Carolyn's car parked nearby, indicating that she and Arthur were already there. "Brace yourself for impending Arthur." Douglas said wearily. Arthur could be a lot to deal with at the best of times, but at 6 in the morning, would test the patience of even the the most level-headed person. Martin had to smile at that comment, he understood exactly what Douglas meant, and, sure enough, as they entered the portacabin, they were greeted by a very excited steward. "Morning chaps! Wow, this is brilliant, isn't it? Getting to go to Geneva for 3 days while the client is at a conference! It'll be like a little holiday for us, which will be nice, seeing as we're normally taking other people on their holidays!" His flow of conversation was interrupted by a very tense Carolyn. "Arthur, dear heart, perhaps you'd like to put the coffee on, and let us all wake up before you try and talk our ears off?" Arthur nodded, and went off into the kitchen happily. "Right then, drivers. Here's the briefing, Cloudy at Geneva, risk of some mild turbulence, your alternate, not that you'll be needing one, is Lyon. Martin, you operate out, Douglas, you've got the return leg in a couple of days." With that, she retreated into her office, closing the door behind her. "Right, er, well, I'll go and get the flight plan filed. Douglas, you do the walk around." Martin said, turning to leave. Douglas, however, had other ideas. "Oh, I thought, seeing as it's absolutely freezing out there, we could have a little game. Winner gets to stay in the warm and deal with the flight plan, loser gets the walk around. A simple game of rock, paper, scissors ought to suffice." Martin groaned, stammering about Captain's authority and command gradients before finally giving in. Martin lost, as he had predicted, and found himself outside in the biting wind, with a torch, conducting the pre-flight walk around. The voice in his head was really ramping it up now. "Useless, pathetic, no wonder everyone thinks Douglas is the Captain. You couldn't even manage to delegate a simple walk around. You're nothing." Martin shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but it proved difficult. The walk around took a little longer that morning, Martin going back and double checking everything, seeing as the voice was providing an unwelcome distraction.

When he finally returned, the flight plan was filed and they had time for a warming cup of coffee before they welcomed their client. During this time, Martin's thoughts turned to the minor problem of getting his van fixed, and the cold house he'd no doubt be returning to in a few days. His landlord was good, but heating engineers in the area were booked well in advance, performing winter boiler maintenance on the houses in the area. He was jolted from his thoughts by Arthur. "Skip, are you OK? Only, you look a bit... sad, and distant." Martin looked at him with confusion, then remembered his course on understanding people. "I'm OK, Arthur. Nothing to worry about," he said, trying to smile. At that point, their client arrived, and they all headed out to G-ERTI.


	2. Breaking Point

**A/N: Usual disclaimer, I own nothing, just borrowing the characters for a bit :)**  
  
It was an uneventful flight out, there was the usual word games and such, but Douglas noticed something was a bit off, about his captain. He couldn't put his finger on what, but martin looked like he was about to break down and cry at any moment, his normally pale skin even paler, and he was looking even thinner than usual. He decided to broach the subject, in his usual manner, so as not to arouse Martin's suspicions.   
  
"Hey, Chief, I might be wrong but, I can't help but notice you're looking a little down, today."  
  
"Douglas, stop it, I'm fine!" Martin replied, a little too quickly. Douglas pressed on, hoping to get somewhere. "This makes me feel, concerned, and a little confused, as I thought we were friends."  
  
"Douglas, seriously-" Martin was cut off, as Douglas pressed on. "One thing we could do, is talk about it, and see if I can be of any assistance. How does that sound to you?" Martin sighed and looked at the instrument panel. "We are friends, Douglas. You might drive me up the wall sometimes, but we are friends. It's nothing I can't handle myself, honestly."   
  
Douglas sighed, but relented, "OK, Martin. Just remember, the offer still stands if you change your mind."  _"Locked down like a maximum security vault"_ he thought. He was torn from his thoughts by Martin asking for the pre-landing checks, and it was back to work.   
  
The next couple of days were pretty uneventful, the four friends taking in the sights of Geneva and generally enjoying the small break. Martin still seemed off, but the chance of a couple of decent meals had definitely helped his mood. Then, the night before they were due to fly home, Martin checked his phone, noticing he had a text, from his landlord.  
  
**Martin, I know you're on a trip but I need the rent when you get back, otherwise I'll have to give you your notice. I've tried to be as helpful as I can, I know you don't earn a lot, but I really need someone who can pay on time, and regularly, I'm sorry.**  Martin stopped abruptly, as they were about to enter the hotel, and stared at his phone. "Martin? Are you alright?" asked Carolyn, a little concerned at the reaction of her pilot. "Oh, y-yeah, I'm-I'm fine. I'll meet you back here for dinner. I n-need to do something." Martin replied, before rushing off in the direction of the lifts. Carolyn and Douglas exchanged looks, while Arthur simply stared at the space Martin had previously occupied.   
  
Once safely in his room, Martin flopped onto the bed and sobbed. The emotion of the past few days overcame him, and panic rose within him, as he wondered what he'd do after they flew home. He suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe, couldn't get air into his lungs, this made him panic more, and he began taking fast, gasping breaths, just trying to get some air inside him. The sound of a key in the door startled him, and he instinctively curled in on himself, trying to protect himself from the perceived danger. "Martin?" a voice called into the room. Martin's brain worked overtime to process the new information -  _Of course, he and Douglas were sharing a room, of all the times for them to share, now Douglas was going to see him, like this_  
  
Douglas could hear the sobs emanating from the figure curled on the bed. Slowly, he walked over, and knelt on the floor, not wanting to distress Martin further by getting too close.   
  
"Martin? Martin, look at me. It's OK, it's alright." he said softly. It seemed to work and Martin looked up, but there was still fear and panic in his eyes, and his chest was heaving rapidly as he tried to breathe.  
  
_Why couldn't he breathe? Was he that useless that his own body was betraying him?_  
  
Douglas looked at the man before him, and inwardly cursed, he should've noticed something was amiss months ago, the signs were all there. Martin's breathing was Douglas' main concern, he was hyperventilating and he needed to get that back under control before he suffered complications.  
  
"Martin, you need to slow your breathing, you're hyperventilating. Breathe with me, Martin, OK?" Martin looked up and nodded. Douglas took a deep breath, and held it for five seconds before releasing it. Martin tried to copy him, but his breath caught in his throat and he let out a sob. He suddenly noticed the pain in his chest, that felt like hot knives.  
  
"Douglas- I can't-I can't breathe! My c-chest h-hurts!" he said, trying not to let the panic take over again. Douglas nodded, "I know Martin, I know. Just try and breathe, OK. Let's try again, alright?" he said, before repeating the earlier exercise. This time, Martin managed to start taking some more controlled breaths, and Douglas relaxed, just a little.   
  
"Martin, I'm going to take your pulse, is that OK? Just nod if that's alright." Douglas said softly. Martin nodded, and Douglas gently felt for Martin's pulse. It was faster than he'd like, but Douglas was fairly sure any immediate danger had passed.   
  
"Martin, can you answer some questions for me? Just nod or shake your head, OK? Don't try and speak, just focus on breathing, and my voice. Now, do you feel nauseous?" Martin shook his head. "Good, do you feel dizzy or light-headed?" again Martin shook his head. "Does your chest still hurt?" A nod. "OK, that's alright, that should start to get better now we've got your breathing under control. Do you have any tingling sensations anywhere?" Martin nodded, "Hands, a bit" he said softly. Douglas nodded, and they stayed in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, Douglas listening to the sound of Martin's breathing evening out and slowing down.   
  
"Do you feel any better?" Douglas eventually asked. Martin thought for a moment, then said, "Yes, my chest still hurts a little, but nowhere near as bad. Thank you, Douglas." Douglas smiled, "You're welcome, Martin. You do realise, we'll need to talk about what caused this, eventually?" Martin nodded sadly, "I know, but it's just... I don't want to be seen as weak."  
  
_You idiot, Martin. What am I going to do with you?_  "Martin, no one will think you're weak, I promise. But, you scared me a little tonight, I won't lie to you about that, and I'd like to help in any way I can. Remember what I said before, we're friends."   
  
Martin sighed, "I know, and I will tell you what's going on, but right now, I'm exhausted and I just want to sleep." he said. It was around 5 in the evening, so Douglas agreed he'd let Martin sleep for a few hours. In the meantime, he was going to go and find Carolyn, there were some discussions he needed to have with her, before he would be able to help Martin.  
  
**A/N: Well, that's part 2. I have more of an idea where this is going now - the next part will be good: honest conversations and a bombshell will be dropped. Hoping I can update a little faster this next time.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, please review :)


	3. Revelations

**A/N: Here's part 3 of this marathon story - triggers ahoy! Triggers in here for mentions of past alcohol abuse and also, without giving too much away, for mentions of adoption/family dynamics changing. Usual disclaimers apply, i own nothing, just borrowing the characters etc.**  
  
Douglas waited until he was sure Martin was sound asleep, before pulling out his phone, switching it to silent mode and sending a text.   
  
 **Need to talk, meet me in the bar in ten minutes.**  After he hit send, he knew the reply, and no doubt a flurry of questions, would arrive fairly rapidly, and he was right.   
  
 **What's going on Douglas?**  
  
 **I'll explain in person, it's about Martin. Just, please meet me downstairs, it's too complicated to discuss by text**    
  
A final reply, agreeing to meet came through within minutes, and Douglas quietly left the room, and made his way downstairs. He found Carolyn already there, and flopped down onto the empty seat opposite her with a sigh. She looked at him, concern evident on her face, and said, "Alright, Douglas, what's going on? Anything that's got you looking this worried must be pretty bad." she said, her voice firm but calm at the same time.   
  
Douglas ran a hand over his face, his own tiredness only now becoming apparent. "I found Martin mid panic attack earlier. Not just a mild one either, it was pretty full on, Carolyn. Chest pain, tingling in the hands, the whole lot. I don't know what caused it, yet, but it's fairly clear to see that something is amiss with our supreme commander." Carolyn listened, her face falling as she took in what her First Officer was saying. "I know something's off, I mean, even Arthur noticed it before we left on this trip. That has to count for something. My son, although a kind soul with good intentions, isn't the brightest of sorts, so for him to notice..." she trailed off, not wanting to admit that she felt she'd failed as an employer, to notice the change in her pilot.   
  
Douglas sensed this, and spoke softly, "I'm just as much at fault, Carolyn. I spend hours a day sat next to him, and just never noticed. I know he struggles to get by, but I thought he was coping. He has a very well constructed facade and he's kept us all out, until now. I don't know if his financial situation has anything to do with tonight, but his life can't be easy. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."  
  
Carolyn sighed, "I know what you're going to ask, Douglas, and I can't. I talked to Martin a few months ago, and I explained to him too, there's just no room in our budget for me to pay him." Douglas nodded, he understood where Carolyn was coming from, but he had a plan. "You don't need to find money in the budget. I'll take a pay cut, I'm down to only paying a single child maintenance payment a month now that Charlotte's graduated from university, I can afford it." he responded. Carolyn looked shocked, she had only ever heard Douglas mention Emily, who she believed to be around eight years old.   
  
Douglas could see the questions forming, and began to answer before Carolyn had the chance to speak again, "I don't mention Charlotte a lot, because our relationship still isn't the best. Carolyn, you knew me around the time I was trying to get sober, I was in no state to be a father, or really have much contact with my daughter. She was ten when her mother and I divorced, and she saw far too much of me as a drunk. It did affect her, and she's always been a little wary of getting too close to me, ever since. We still talk, but not a lot, we're more acquaintances than father and daughter, if I'm honest."  
  
"Douglas, I had no idea. I've heard you speak of Charlotte, but I assumed that was your first wife. I have one question, if you don't mind? Do Charlotte and Emily know of one another?" Carolyn placed a hand gently on Douglas' shoulder. "Yes, they do. They've met actually, about 3 years ago, before Charlotte went off to university. They got on very well, actually, all things considered." He paused then, and reached for his wallet. He carefully pulled out a photograph, showing four people in a sunny garden, and handed it to Carolyn.   
  
"This was taken when the girls met. You remember Laura, don't you?" Carolyn nodded, Laura was Douglas' second wife, who she'd met on numerous occasions. "Charlotte looks like you, Douglas, but Emily doesn't look like either you or Laura. But anyway, how does all of this relate to helping Martin?" Carolyn finished, keen to try and help her young pilot.   
  
"Well, actually, you partly hit on the answer just now. Emily doesn't look like either of us, you're right. The reason for that, is she's actually our adoptive daughter. You see, Laura and I were having trouble conceiving, and had sort of resigned ourselves to not having children. Laura's brother and his wife had a baby girl, after we'd been married around a year or so, but there were some issues. He and his wife both had addictions, to some pretty hardcore stuff, and it was decided by various parties, that their home was not a suitable place to bring up a child. She would've gone into the care system, but Laura and I thought about it, and decided we'd adopt her. I'd been sober for about 2 years at that point, and having gone through everything with Charlotte, I didn't want Emily to grow up going through anything similar. So we adopted her when she was about a year old. So, going back to helping Martin, Laura gets some money from the government adoption and fostering service, for being an adoptive parent. So I'm able to pay a slightly smaller maintenance payment each month, and that means, I can take a pay cut so our esteemed Captain can earn a salary."   
  
Carolyn beamed, and pulled Douglas into a hug. "Douglas Richardson, you are a wonderful human being, you really are. You've made some stupid mistakes, I'll give you that, but you've got a heart of gold. If you're happy to take a drop in salary, I'll start paying Martin in a couple of months. I'd do it sooner but it's near the end of the tax year and it'll be a nightmare sorting the tax side of things out. Now you need to go and find out exactly what's driven the poor man to a major panic attack, and help him through it."   
  
Douglas nodded, and got up, heading back up towards their room.  _I will help you Martin, we all will. We're a crew, and when one of us is drowning, the others offer their hands to keep them above the waves._  he thought, as he walked towards the lifts.  
  
 **A/N: OK, that was part 3, and yeah, I know I threw in a HUGE curveball, well 2, really, but I had the idea whizzing round my head and just thought I'd try it out. It IS true that in the UK, parents do get some financial support from the government if they foster a child, although I'm unsure if this extends to adoption, I've used a little creative licence with that part! Next part should be up in a few days hopefully :)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, please review. I've hit a little block with this story now, so the next update might take a while.


	4. Conversations

**A/N: OK, I'm so sorry I've not updated in so long, I've been out in America working, and travelling for a couple of months (flew into Boston actually, which made me smile!) and so updating hasn't been on my mind. But I'm back, and hopefully you enjoy the new chapter! Usual disclaimers, I own nothing, just borrowing the characters :) Characters will also probably be very OOC for this chapter, but it's just the direction I wanted to go, so don't hate me!**

When Douglas returned to their room, he wasn't sure what he was expecting to see, all he knew was that the sight of Martin, sat on the bed and reading a book, didn't feature in his list of possibilities. "Hey, didn't expect to see you awake for a bit." Douglas casually remarked, closing the door behind him. Martin looked up at the sudden sound, but appeared to be much calmer than earlier that evening. "Normally I don't wake up for hours after one," Martin said, speaking softly, "But this time, I sort of, had a nightmare that woke me up." 

Douglas moved across the room, and sat on the edge of the bed. He knew he needed to proceed with care, Martin was leading the conversation, and Douglas knew one misunderstood comment would lead to Martin shutting down and bottling things up. "You've... Been in this situation before?" he asked. Martin nodded, for once he could see Douglas' actions and questions for what they actually were: a lifeline. "Yeah, had a lot when I was a teenager. Managed to get a handle on things when I was about fifteen. I've had the odd one since, but only when I've been really stressed." Douglas nodded, A-Level psychology had taught him a fair bit about this sort of thing, but it did leave a burning question sitting at the forefront of his mind. "If Sir doesn't mind," he began, hoping to keep this casual by the use of Martin's preferred title, "I have a question. You say you've had a couple of these instances as an adult. Am I right in thinking then, that the CAA medical examiners are unaware of this?" Douglas didn't really think Martin would hold back such information, but having experienced several colleagues at Air England battle things like depression alone, and keep flying, he wanted to be sure. 

He was quite reassured when Martin's gaze shot up to meet his, and a response came. "What? No! Douglas, this is _me_ you're talking to! Do you really think I'd do that?! N-No, they know. It's a condition of my Class One. I can't fly for 12 hours after an attack, and if it gets bad enough that I need meds, I have to surrender my medical until I'm off them." Douglas smiled, and gently placed a hand on Martin's shoulder. "Sorry, Captain, I had a feeling that was the case. Unfortunately, when you've been in aviation as long as I have, you see some pretty reckless stuff. I knew pilots who were flying depressed, and on medication, and the CAA knew nothing of it." Martin looked shocked, then a million questions began buzzing around his head.

"Douglas, that's so reckless, it's almost as bad as those pilots you see in the news getting pulled of aircraft for...well, you know." Martin stumbled over the words, not sure how Douglas would feel about him bringing up the minority of pilots who attempted to fly over the limit. He paused, a question on his lips that he was unsure if he should be asking. "Did you- I mean, I don't think you would but when you were- did you ever...?" He couldn't bring himself to ask the question directly, but Douglas knew exactly what he meant. "Sorry, that's a really personal question, Douglas." Martin added.

_Martin, you idiot, you've bared your soul to me tonight, now it's my turn._ Douglas thought to himself, before answering. "Don't apologise, Martin. We're a crew, we should be able to talk about this sort of thing together. No, I never flew drunk, I might put out this reckless and unprofessional facade, but I'd never do something so dangerous. I flew hungover, a lot, and a couple of times I did wonder whether I was fit to fly, but let's just say at one point I was getting a lot of flu like bugs and food poisoning." Martin nodded, he respected Douglas a lot, even though they bickered almost constantly, and Martin realised just then, that Douglas respected him, even if he didn't always show it. "Alright Martin, now I have a question for you." Douglas said, snapping Martin out of his thoughts.

"Go on." Martin replied. 

"What caused your panic attack tonight?" Douglas asked, his voice was soft, kind and calm, but Martin still felt the panic and fear surge in his stomach. He knew there was no way of escaping this, he was going to have to tell Douglas just how bad his situation was. "I-well, I got a text from my landlord earlier, and there's a possibility- quite a high one, actually, that I'm going to be homeless when we get back from this trip. I can't pay my rent, my van's off the road, I'm-"

Martin was cut off then, by strong arms wrapping him up in a hug. 

 

**A/N: And there we are, hopefully you liked it, and hopefully I'll update a bit quicker next time. Once again, sorry for the OOC-ness, I just had an idea of where I wanted this to go, and ran with it.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review :)


	5. Lifeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OK, I'm sorry for the lack of update (again!). No real excuse this time, just got a lot of college work to get done so writing hasn't been top of the list. Once again, usual disclaimers, I own nothing. This capter might also be a bit OOC, but a lot of my stuff seems to go that way, so apologies :)

They stayed like that for a few minutes, before Martin mumbled into Douglas' shoulder, "What am I going to do?", and let out a long, shuddering sigh. Douglas took a step back, gently placed his hands on Martin's shoulders and looked him in the eyes before responding. "You're not on your own, Martin. We can help, it's what friends do. Is there anyone you can stay with when we get back? Friends, family?" Martin shook his head, "My mum has a serious case of empty nest syndrome, if I moved in with her I doubt she'd ever let me leave! My siblings aren't the most supportive, either. Think I'm wasting my time being a pilot, and this job, plus the van business doesn't leave an awful lot of time for friends." Douglas nodded, "OK, so friends and family aren't an option. Just leaves colleagues, I suppose. I happen to have a spare room, and I know Carolyn does."

Martin stared at his First Officer, he wanted to grab the lifeline being offered with both hands, but his pride had other ideas. "I can't do that, Douglas. I can't be a burden on any of you. I've still got my van, it's in a side street near Parkside Terrace, I've got a load of blankets and an old air mattress, I'll be OK there." Douglas shook his head, he knew this would happen, and was well prepared. "OK, I understand that. But, Martin, can you realistically be fit to fly an aircraft if you're sleeping in the back of a van? I know you say you'd be alright, but I've crashed out on enough sofas during my student days to know that kind of arrangement doesn't leave you feeling particularly well rested. Look, you don't have to decide tonight, but the offer's there, just know that."

Martin nodded, then a thought struck him. "Oh no, what do I tell Carolyn? About rushing off tonight?" Douglas could see the panic in his Captain's eyes, and quickly led him to the bed, before sitting down beside him. "After you fell asleep, I went and had a chat with her. Wanted to see if we could do something about your financial situation. I told her what happened, but she doesn't know why, and if you want that to stay between us, that's fine. I'm sorry if I've overstepped a boundary, but one thing I've learned during my time in aviation is, you look after your fellow crew members." Martin looked away for a few seconds, deep in thought, when he looked back, he was smiling. "Thank you, Douglas. I- I don't mind. I was going to have to tell her anyway, really. I'm... I'm not used to people looking out for me, no one at my last airline ever did, it was every man for himself and don't worry about who you trample to get to where you want to go."

Douglas winced, this new information gave him some insight into what made Martin the way he was, and he made a mental note, to remember to show the Captain that he had people who would look out for him, a little more often. "That, I think is a conversation for another day. What I do know, though, is that Carolyn and Arthur are expecting us downstairs," he paused to check his watch, "In about ten minutes. Apparently our client has had a successful business trip, and has given Carolyn a hefty sum of money to spend on a crew dinner. If you don't mind me saying, it looks like you could use a decent meal." Martin grinned, "That, I will admit, is very true - baked potatoes and pasta are nice but they only get you so far."

The two headed downstairs, and throughout dinner Martin relaxed, laughing and joking with his MJN family. The evening's events had given him some things to think about, and as he went to sleep that night, he knew that he was in for a turbulent time, and that he'd have to make some tough decisions.

**A/N: Hope you liked this chapter - sorry for OOC-ness, please review and I'll hopefully update as time allows. Think I've got maybe 3 chapters left before I wrap this up.**

**Author's Note:**

> Please be kind, and please review :)


End file.
